Food. Filipino Food.

May 28, 2012

The Filipino sour soup known as Sinigang can contain any variety of meats, poultry and seafood, and is typically studded with a variety of local vegetables. Depending on the region of the Philippines, a range of native fruits can be used to give Sinigang its trademark tang. And although vinegar is a vital ingredient in Filipino cooking, it is never used as a souring agent for Sinigang.

The typical souring agents that can be used include unripe tamarind pods and leaves, kamias (a very sour green fruit pod native to the Philippines), guava, starfruit, tomatoes, as well as lemon, calamansi and dayap (another variety of Philippine lime).

But since Rhubarb is so plentiful this time of year in my neck of the woods (and also because tamarind, kamias, guava, starfruit and dayap don't grow in my neck of the woods), I decided to try and use the sour red stalks to bring the tang for a Pork Sinigang.

Rhubarb? In soup? Yes. And it works wonderfully! Although rhubarb is typically used in desserts, a savory Sinigang application isn't as crazy as it sounds. Besides lending the necessary sourness for a proper Sinigang, rhubarb also provides a nice crunchy texture in much the same way that daikon or taro traditionally would in the Filipino sour soup.

And besides, using Rhubarb in Sinigang will trip out even the most palate-progressive of all your Filipino friends. It's a culinary curveball!

May 18, 2012

Whoever said, "Too much of a good thing is never good at all," has probably never been to a wedding with an open bar, has not found a go-to all-you-can-eat sushi joint, nor has ever had Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic. Unlimited alcohol, unlimited raw fish, and a chicken that seemingly threw itself on a garlic grenade are all good things.

Although the first two items in that list may be subjective (you know, if you're a teetotaling fish-o-phobe), there is no arguing the third. In today's post-BAMmage culinary landscape, who doesn't like a shizzload of garlic thrown in their food--especially garlic that's been sauteed in chicken grease and butter, and then slowly braised until buttery, sweet, and soft?

Such is the case with Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic--a dish of Provencal origins that features a whole chicken roasted along with, yup, you guessed it, 40 whole cloves of garlic(!).

Why 40 cloves of garlic? I have no clue. Perhaps it's because "Chicken and 40 Cloves" sounds a bit more impressive than say, "Chicken and 3 to 4 Heads of Garlic" (which might make for an awesome band name). Who knows?

But what I do know is that there is perhaps no other chicken dish that takes such great advantage of the more mild and sweet qualities of garlic. Well, except of course, Chicken Adobo. So why not combine the two dishes?

April 02, 2012

Just about a year ago, I ended one brief (yet exciting) chapter in my life to focus on something entirely different--writing my first cookbook. Although there were other major factors that pulled me away from the road as well (e.g. family, health, family health, sanity, etc.), I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish a big ol' book of filipino recipes if I didn't devote a huge chunk of my time to it while also considering all the other things going on in my life.

And let me tell you, there's a lot to writing a book of cookery! Especially if there's to be 100 or so recipes in said book of cookery. In addition to developing and writing each recipe, there's the testing and re-testing (and testing again) of each recipe and incorporating some of the feedback from my recipe testers (many thanks to those of you who volunteered!), not to mention writing all the additional text, stories, and anecdotes, and the research that goes along with all of that. And that's only half of the battle!

The other half of that GI Joe equation is in the food photography. Besides all the writing and recipe development, I also took it upon myself to do my own pictures and food styling.

If you've been following this here blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed that food photography ain't my forte (neither be grammar). So with an already full plate of stress and despair, I also managed to pile on more worry with my relative inexperience with a big fancy camera. Now, all 100 recipes had to be individually styled and photographed. And because nothing ever goes as planned with me, that meant thousands and thousands of photos at different angles, in different light, and with different settings--only to whittle that number down to a couple hundred photos. Sheesh.

So you can probably imagine just how difficult these past 12 months have been for me trying to cobble together the cookbook of my dreams. And I loved every minute of it! Even the ones where I was cursing myself and my camera, or cursing myself and my stove, or just cursing myself in general (cookbook writing can be downright introspective and self-deprecating). But I'd do it all again (which I probably, hopefully will, but much much much further down the road...).

But first thing's first. A little over a month ago I finished the manuscript and photographs for my very first Filipino cookbook and submitted everything to my editor at Tuttle Publishing. Soon, I'll be getting some edits back of my draft manuscript for my review, and I'll also probably have to re-shoot some things as well. So even though I'm done with the manuscript and photos, there's still plenty more to do in the months to come before an actual cookbook hits the shelves.

Aside from more editing and photos, there's layout and cover design, color separation and pre-press, many more reviews and edits, printing overseas and shipping to the US, and a whole bunch of other minutiae that I'll probably cover in other posts.

And although I first reported that my book would be out by late 2012, it's more likely to be early 2013. It takes time to craft a quality cookbook, you know? I will keep you posted...

March 18, 2012

Take a peek into most any Filipino's pantry and you are just as likely to spy a can of corned beef as you are a bottle of fish sauce, banana ketchup, or vinegar.

Because the Philippines was an American colony from 1901-1946, American canned goods like corned beef, Spam, and condensed milk all made their way to the islands (along with other things). Ultimately, these canned goods gained popularity amongst Filipinos and have remained in Filipino cupboards ever since.

Canned corned beef, like Spam, is often enjoyed at breakfast by many Filipinos (myself included). The corned beef is usually sauteed in a bit of oil with some tomatoes, onions, and garlic (at least that's how I roll) and served alongside the Silog duo of Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag) and Fried Eggs (Itlog) for a hearty Corned Beef-silog breakfast

Although I do love dusting off the ol' can o' corned beef every once in a while, I decided to try my hand at making corned beef from scratch, you know, with it being St. Patrick's Day and all. So with the help of a nitrite-fortified brine (whoa, sound the nitrite alarm!), I was able to magically transform a beef brisket into a beautifully RED corned beef that was enjoyed on St. Patty's Day with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots (Irish), and then the very next day with Garlic Fried Rice and eggs (Filipino).

March 07, 2012

OK, so I've been gone for a little bit haven't I? But my apparent winter hibernation from this space (and from twitter, and from the actual world outside my home, or outside the public library [yes, i still go to the public library, it's quiet in there]) has not been without good reason. I've kinda had my hands full for the past few months (more on that in another post, hopefully sometime. Sometime soon...).

But now that I'm up and about and out of my cave (Egads, does that sunshine feel good!), I wanted to quickly bring something else out into the light with me--you know, while I can, before I'm banished back to my cave.

A couple months ago, a few days after Christmas actually, I received an unexpected package in my mailbox. I was pleased to find a copy of Linamnam: Eating One's Way Around The Philippines, sent to me courtesy of the authors of the book--Claude Tayag and his wife Mary Ann Quioc.

As the title might suggest, Linamnam is a culinary travel guidebook for the Philippines. Claude and Mary Ann spent two years traveling, and eating, all over the Philippines (sweet gig, no?). As a result of their many travels, and their many meals, Claude and Mary Ann provide the nitty gritty on where and what to eat in every region of the Philippines. From simple roadside shacks to upscale restaurants, Linamnam covers it all.

Northern Exposure

In addition to being a fantastic food and travel guide for the Philippines, I think, more importantly, that the book highlights the sheer diversity of Filipino cuisine. Because every region of the archipelago is featured in the book, the book goes beyond showcasing just adobo and pancit and lumpia, but also delves into each region's particular tastes and specialties. Linamnam goes to great lengths to provide historical context, as well as personal anecdotes, to explain why we Filipinos eat what we eat.

And even when adobo and pancit and lumpia are highlighted, it becomes clear just how many variations there can be on a particular dish. There is no one way (or correct way) to make anything in the Philippines, and it is this variation and diversity in our food that makes it so special.

So if any of you out there are planning a trip to the Philippines any time soon, or if you just want to learn more about Filipino food, you must pick up a copy of Linamnam: Eating One's Way Around The Philippines. Although the book can be hard to come by here in the States, I've been told by a couple of readers that you can get copies from this website http://philippineexpressionsbookshop.com.

December 18, 2011

Thank you all so much for showing such great interest in this cookbook! I'm thrilled with the overwhelming responses in just a short amount of time. I won't be able to choose everyone to be a recipe tester, but I will choose many many of you that have left comments. As such, the call for testers is now closed.

I'll be in touch with the selected recipe testers soon via email. Thanks again for your participation!

***

Wow. Nothing can quite sneak up on you like a LOOMING deadline. Not ninjas. Not zombies. Not zombie-ninjas. 'Tis a scary thing indeed, that deadline.

So as I'm nearing the finish line for the manuscript of my Filipino cookbook, I can't help but to feel all kinds of anxiety, worry, and downright fright. And even after the manuscript is done, there's still plenty more things that can sneak up on me before the book is really done and I can finally stop looking over my shoulder--but those are details I'll perhaps save for another time.

For now, dear readers and friends, I need your help. Pretty please.

I need recipe testers. Recipe testers of all shapes, sizes, and culinary expertise. And because this lil' cookbook of mine will be released worldwide, I need recipe testers from L.A. to Laoag and everywhere in between.

And no, you don't have to be Filipino. And heck, you don't even have to like Filipino food. Maybe after testing a couple of my recipes, I can persuade Filipino food haters to think differently about something I care very dearly about. At least that's my hope. And yes, lovers of Filipino food are welcome too, of course.

Sound good? Good!

Here's what I need from you if you're interested in being a recipe tester for my New Filipino Cookbook:

Leave a comment in this post, making sure to leave your correct email address in the appropriate box.

Let me know where you are from, and what your skill-level is as a cook.

Test 2-3 of my recipes as written, and let me know about the results.

I need your feedback by January 9, 2012!

"Mum's" the word. Keep my recipes, concepts, and ideas to yourself! Keep it on the DL! Zip the lip! Shhhhh! If you start going around town telling people about my recipe for Hippopatamus Adobo, why would they want to buy my cookbook?

Not Hippopatamus Adobo. Or is it?

In return, my recipe testers will have the opportunity to get a sneak peak of what I've been working on for the past many months. And as a recipe tester, you'll have the chance to be a part of what I hope will be something very special for the Filipino community specifically, and the bigger food community in general. Recipe testers will also be thanked by name in the acknowledgements section of my cookbook. Woohoo!

My cookbook is due out in late 2012/early 2013 and will be published by Tuttle Publishing. The book is tentatively titled "The New Filipino-American Cookbook: A Celebration of Culture in the Kitchen and at the Table"--or something kinda sorta like that. My cookbook will present a variety of classic Filipino dishes and comfort foods with my own modern and contemporary twist on them.

Hopefully there will be some of you out there that will want to help with this little endeavor of mine. Thanks in advance to any and everyone that apply!

Recently, while trying out different Filipino empanada recipes for a little project I've been working on, I started thinking about the raisins sometimes seen in Filipino, Spanish, and Mexican empanadas. (Spain and Mexico both have had quite the influence on Filipino cuisine via colonialism and the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, and empanadas happen to be a tasty result of that Spanish/Mexican influence).

So, while considering raisins, the dominoes started to fall.

For a change of pace and a different kind of sweetness, I thought of using dried cranberries in place of the raisins. And with the dried cranberries, turkey soon came to mind--I'd use ground turkey instead of beef or pork. And finally, because sweet potatoes (AKA Kamote) are used quite often in Filipino cooking, they were another logical addition for me.

Suddenly, without intending to, I had stumbled upon a Thanksgiving-themed empanada. Eureka! It was kinda like the time I had stumbled upon a Groundhog Day-themed adobo. OK, so that probably never happened.

Nevertheless, these empanadas are like Thanksgiving squished into a conveniently parceled pie. With these handy portable turnovers, you can now take Thanksgiving anywhere! Take that, iPad!

October 25, 2011

Yes, that is perhaps the most unappetizing description of a soup ever known to man. I mean, it's got "awful bile" in the title. But I didn't know how else to describe the Filipino soup known as Papaitan (papa-ee-tahn) because, well, it's nothing more than a hot steaming bowl of animal innards seasoned with green digestive juices. Sheesh, I'm on a roll. I should write menu descriptions for a living.

Anyhizzle, don't let the individual parts of this dish dissuade you from discovering the whole of something truly delicious. And yes, it can be delicious if bitter is your bag, baby.

Hailing from the Ilocos region of the Northern Philippines (Ilocos son, what?!!), Papaitan is usually comprised of the organ meats found within a goat such as its stomach and intestines, as well as its bitter bile. However, it can be made with beef offal as well.

With such a mish-mash of animal parts and its green hue, Papaitan is sort of the Frankenstein's Monster of Filipino cuisine (but in a good way). And I guess that makes Dinuguan the Vampire, and Sisig with brains the Zombie espesyal of Filipino food (much like Zombies, Sisig is so hot right now). But I digress.

I can't say I've had goat Papaitan, but I am quite familiar with the bovine variety as it makes an occassional appearance at my Grandmother's from time to time. That version, usually made by one of my aunties, features onions, garlic, ginger, mild chili peppers, beef meat, as well as tripe, intestines, and the heart too, methinks. While that concoction on its own can bring more than enough flavor to the party, the addition of beef bile lends that ever-so Ilocano bitter flavor profile.

And that brings me to the bile. Biologically speaking, bile is a greenish fluid that is secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder to aid in digestion. Culinarily speaking, it's bitter as hell. A spoonful is a nuclear bomb of bitterness. It's kinda like if a Double IPA were brewed from a zillion bittermelons and a touch of battery acid. So yeah. That's what bile tastes like.

Us crazy Ilocanos, we'll eat anything. But we aren't the only ones who enjoy the bracing bitterness of bile. Thais also enjoy beef bile in their Koi Soi--an Isaan dish of raw beef and bile.

But what's with the Filipino (or more specifically, Ilocano) love of bitter flavors? In her book Tikim, Doreen Fernandez wrote, "Ilocanos know that after the mildly bitter comes the pleasure of an after-sweetness, and that the word 'bittersweet' is a reality, and not a figure of speech."

And I can attest that there is definitely a sweetness that follows most bitter flavors. Admittedly though, having been raised on things like Pinakbet, I am quite biased. Much like a chiliheads' love of hot and spicy foods, I've built a tolerance and appreciation for all things bitter. And it's this bitter note that adds to the richness and complexity of so many Southeast Asian cuisines.

October 10, 2011

To American audiences, Claude Tayag may best be known as Anthony Bourdain's Pampangan host and tour guide in the Philippines episode of No Reservations. But Claude Tayag is more than just a tour guide.

Tayag is a renowned artist, chef, and food writer in the Philippines. In addition to authoring Food Tour, a book exploring culinary traditions throughout the Philippines, Tayag is also the co-author of Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine.

And most recently, with his wife Mary Ann, Tayag co-authored Linamnam: Eating One's Way Around the Philippines--a unique and reader-friendly culinary travel guide that will lead readers to the best eats in every region of the Philippines.

[Record screech]

THE BEST EATS IN EVERY REGION OF THE PHILIPPINES??!!!

Once I get my hands on this book, I'm heading to the P.I. ASAP! Linamnam will be released in Manila on November 3 of this year.

Linamnam Nom Nom Nom

In short, Tayag is perhaps one of the foremost experts on Filipino cuisine, and it's a shame that Mr. Tayag's works aren't more readily available here in the U.S.

Now, I know that I laid it on pretty thick for Mr. Tayag in the previous paragraphs, but with good reason. I've been lucky enough to have corresponded with Mr. Tayag via a few emails for the last year and a half or so, and Mr. Tayag has always been gracious and kind to me when he didn't necessarily have to be. After all, I'm just an idiot food blogger;)

Consequently, I was supposed to have a one-on-one meeting with Tayag a couple of weeks ago at an event in San Francisco. But as luck would have it, Mr. Tayag had to cancel his trip to the U.S. at the last minute. Thankfully though, Mr. Tayag was nice enough to agree to an interview with me via a Q&A over email.

The following are Mr. Tayag's candid and very thoughtful responses to a few questions I had for him. There is much for all of us to learn from Mr. Tayag's views and expertise on Filipino cuisine.

September 26, 2011

Aside from the occasional homemade ice cream binge, or the very rare instance where I actually bake something, I don't usually make many desserts. It's not that I don't enjoy sweets, it's just that my sweet tooth usually gets vetoed by my lazy bones.

So whenever I come across a dessert recipe where I don't have to turn my oven on, my sweet tooth can finally exercise its powers over said lazy bones. Such was the case when I was thumbing through Bee Yin Low's new cookbook, Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites From Dim Sum to Kung Pao, and found a beautiful looking recipe for Fresh Mango Pudding.

Bee, if you didn't already know, is the mastermind behind the megablog Rasa Malaysia. Rasa Malaysia has been an inspiration to me since I've started my own little blog here, and now that I'm working on my own cookbook, the recipes and photographs in Bee's new book continue to inspire me as well.

(Full Disclosure: My own Filipino cookbook will be published by Tuttle, the same publisher behind Easy Chinese Recipes.)